I'm working around the clock on something that will change everything, alienate half of you, and
blow the minds of the other half, so don't think I'm neglecting this place, even if actual blocks
of text with my name attached have been in short supply lately. I'm here behind the scenes,
listening to Annette Hanshaw records in a posture of revolutionary toil.
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Big Story
There is an excellent debate going on at the pages of A More
Splendid Life about the future of soccer journalism (or really, the future of
journalism in general), with his post yesterday on the impending doom for us all as the "so-called
"newspaper model" seems as yet irreplaceable when it comes to affording a living wage for
journalists".
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Very broad and interesting response to my post yesterday. I just want to speak to some of the
comments I received over the course of the day as I recovered from a nasty sore throat.
First, the post was not a protracted whinge about soccer writing not paying my bills. I know there
is a route whereby money can be made from bloggin' about soccer, and I know several of us have
commandeered that route with great success.
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Conrad after the Costa Rica match. Photo courtesy of Andy Mead/Yellow Card Journalism.
Jimmy Conrad has been named to the US National Team for the third time this season, after first
joining the team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup then re-joining for the final two World Cup qualifiers
of the hexagonal.
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Good morning all, welcome to the blog.
It's gameday, and with the action coming Wellington today, it means we only have to wait a few
hours for a 12 o'clock kick-off.
On the other hand, it also means we have to deal with the New Zealand commenators, who would be
front-runners for the 'worst football commenators in the world' award - if one were to actually
exist.
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There is a great community of soccer bloggers out there delivering soccer news and original
content and one blog that is really doing it right is No Short Corners.
Greg Seltzer and Sean O'Connor run the blog and their resume in soccer journalism is very
impressive. Combined, the two have reported on soccer across the globe for over a decade,
covering MLS, U.
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Conrad celebrating after the USA clinched qualification in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Photo courtesy
of Andy Mead/Yellow Card Journalism.
Tonight, the final Jimmy Conrad Show of the 2009 season takes place live from Fox and Hound in
Overland Park from 8-9 p.m. CT. As an added incentive for fans who come out to the show, Conrad
will be raffling off an autographed U.
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Wow, waking up just to see all those journalists crying on how Bilic (or Markovic rather) picks
his friendlies ain't the best way to start the morning. But seriously though, the journalism in
Croatia is rubbish. Like fast food. It's all around, lacks the attention & nutrition of a real
meal, and in the end will leave you plunging the nearest available restroom.
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Looks like if some Liverpool fans are given the powers, they will sack Rafa Benitez immediately.
The reason? Because we are not at the top of the table at the moment, we have not won all the games
we have played so far this season, and we have not won our games by a 5 goals margin, all scored
from 20 yards I suppose.
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Fantasy EPL 16 October @ 02:52 PM EST
Stan Kroenke increases Arsenal stake yet again - Barclays Premier League - ESPN SoccernetI'm not
really a conspiracy theorist and I'm usually not one to give much credibility to one + one = three
"Journalism" but here's something for you all to ponder as we head back into Premier League matches
after the International Break.
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SoccerLens 15 October @ 12:35 PM EST
Considered the pinnacle of personal awards in Football, the Ballon d'Or has had a rich history
through out the last quarter of a century, indeed no other award can lay claim to the influence the
Ballon d'Or has had. Be it the transformation of great players into legendary players or
influencing the transfer policies of some of the world's biggest club.
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Arsene keen on young hotshot.
Arsenal have been linked with moves for Atletico Madrid striker Keko.
Keko, 17, has been dubbed the 'new Fernando Torres' in Spain and he has already made his La Liga
debut.
However, the Spanish youth international is currently on an amateur contract and has yet to sign
professional terms with Atletico.
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One of the more honourable aims of journalism is to speak for the weak, the disenfranchised, those
forgotten on the fringes. Which, I guess, means for a certain Bayern Munich player.
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Before I had a chance to read The Beckham Experiment by Sports Illustrated soccer writer Grant
Wahl, I surmised that it could end up being the most important piece of American soccer journalism
(while certainly there are a number of incredible pieces of soccer literature, never has the story
taken place nearly exclusively in the good ol' U.
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The Archerites are at it again. This time Aaron Stollar makes some wild generalizations about
Canadian soccer fans based on the 24thminute's commentary on MLS' lacklustre participation in the
CONCACAF Champions League and the plebes go wild (check the comment section).
Read the offending post.
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Fairly quick post today as it's a pretty quiet day, strange as the transfer deals should be
hotting up as we get closer and closer to the deadline. You will be able to catch live commentary
on any Arsenal deals on the deadline day right here on The Goon Blog, I'm pretty sure it will be an
eventful day, we are due a few deadline deals.
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Did I just read this correctly or has my mind turned to mush?
Arsene Wenger: "Theo, I don't want the ball to be kicked higher than this,
okay?"
Patrick Vieira has been targeted as Arsene Wenger's long-term successor as Arsenal
boss.
Gunners legend Vieira is expected to hold talks with Wenger this week about a free transfer from
Inter Milan.
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Never ever take anything you read on Wikipedia as a fact, if you do, then you are a moron.
FACT!
De Rossi: So good he can levitate!
Arsene Wenger's preferred midfield target this summer is the Roma and Italy midfielder
Daniele De Rossi, and despite the Italian club's reluctance to sell Arsenal have not given up hope
that Roma's perilous financial position could force a sale.
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In another moment of fine journalism for ESPN and Soccernet, they sent out Steve Davis to do player
ratings for the MLS All Star Game.
That's right he did
player ratings for an All Star game.That's like trying to rate the attractiveness of women at Case Western University* - useless,
pointless, and utterly futile.
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Another excellent piece of journalism by perhaps the best blogger out there at present as
Arseblog delves deeper into the boardroom kerfuffle at the Emirates.
It looks like the gloves are coming off and the relationships between our biggest
shareholders are going to be increasingly tested over the next little while.
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Arseblog 27 July @ 01:57 AM EST
Morning all,
it looks like the gloves are coming off and the relationships between our biggest shareholders
are going to be increasingly tested over the next little while.
You'll have seen some news reports quoting Alisher Usmanov's partner in Red and White, Farhad
Moshiri, after he was interviewed on Sportsweek on BBC 5 Live yesterday.
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Exclusive BigSoccer content from Yellow Card Journalism.
Photos by Scott Bales/YCJ and Andy Mead/YCJ
more after the jump
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David Beckham held a press conference today in Hoboken, New Jersey as he prepared to make his
2009 MLS debut with the Los Angels Galaxy as they take on the Red Bulls on Thursday evening. In
attendance at the press conference was Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl who's book, The Beckham
Experiment was just released in stores on Tuesday of this week.
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David Beckham held a press conference today in Hoboken, New Jersey as he prepared to make his
2009 MLS debut with the Los Angels Galaxy as they take on the Red Bulls on Thursday evening. In
attendance at the press conference was Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl who's book, The Beckham
Experiment was just released in stores on Tuesday of this week.
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Failure is almost always a more interesting subject for a book than success. Grant Wahl did not
originally intend to spend 16 months following the dramatic disaster that was the David Beckham
Experiment in America: but when Beckham's celebrated arrival as the saviour of American soccer
degenerated into a farce of injuries and infighting at the Galaxy, the juicy tale of how the
biggest investment in American soccer history resulted in one of the worst team meltdowns ever in
MLS became the story he had to follow all the way through.
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Grant Wahl discusses his new book, The Beckham Experiment, out now from
Crown
Why do book reviews have to be summaries of the book? I never got that. I understand it but
don't get it. I do get jacket blurbs, though. Those few sentences of praise on the back of a boo
I'm always curious what names are there and what they say.
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Footsmoke 13 July @ 02:40 PM EST
On Sports Blogging, Sports Journalism, and the Scary Fate of Humanity
Alright, alright, fine – blogging isn't journalism. Lines divide the two fields. Professional
journalists get paid, for example. Us amateur bloggers usually don't. We toil in the nervous spaces
between working on the internet and "working" on the internet, or between trips to Starbucks and
withdrawing more trust-fund money.
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Exclusive BigSoccer GoldCup content by Yellow Card Journalism.
Photos by Andy Mead/YCJ and Scott Bales/YCJ
more after the jump
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For a none story this has had quite a life. Tim didn't help himself by ignoring the questions of
the Socceroos major sponsor - FoxTel - after the Japan game. Then Mark Bosnich made matters worse
by claiming solidarity with Tim for being betrayed by someone close to him. Then there was a
supposed email from a Socceroo of 10 years - yeah right, just had to send it to loser NRL journo HQ
eh?
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... of the year goes to Rod Liddle of the Times! Congrats guy!
The so-called journalist's latest drivel attempts emphasis on attempts to drive a stake through
Chelsea supporters' hearts with a blend of humor, sarcasm and downright hatred. It's a fairly poor
attempt to be fair no, actually this is ghastly.
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